Seatbelts save lives

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Daryl Knee
  • 90th Space Wing Public Affairs
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  It was 8 a.m. Sunday morning. Senior Airman Shenelka Pemberton, 90th Force Support Squadron, and her 14-month-old son were returning from the Denver International Airport after dropping off a friend.

She looked out the car window and noticed the buffalo silhouette by the border of Wyoming and Colorado.

Airman Pemberton was driving at 65 miles per hour. Unbeknownst to her, there were patchy spots of black ice on the road.

Unfortunately, this area has high percentage of vehicle mishaps, said Airman 1st Class Colin Deuse, 90th Space Wing safety office. Maybe it's the winding turns or it could just be just be "the curse of the buffalo."

Suddenly, things took a turn for the worse.

Her sport utility vehicle was traveling straight until she hit one of those hidden patches of black ice.

Without notice, she found herself looking at the Wyoming countryside from her front windshield. The ice strip ended, leaving her vehicle sideways with enough momentum to roll.

The vehicle rolled off the road to the right of the breakdown lane, coming to rest on the driver side.

Airman Pemberton unbuckled her safety belt to tend to her crying baby in the back, who was safely fastened into his child seat, Airman Deuse said. A passerby stopped to help the two of them out of the totaled vehicle and called police for assistance.

The mother and child were taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center where she was treated for minor bruises to her left shoulder. Her child did not suffer any injuries during the crash.

"Ninety percent of people killed in vehicle rollovers are not restrained," said Troy Weaver, wing traffic safety manager. "This Airman wore her seatbelt and wore it right, most likely preventing a fatality or other serious injuries."

"I've been here at Warren in safety for almost two years," Airman Deuse said. "I have yet to see a vehicular mishap where someone was seriously injured while wearing their seatbelt. Wear your seatbelts for yourself and your loved ones."

For more information about seatbelt safety, call the safety office at 773-2430.